Amy Mbacké Thiam of Senegal (© Getty Images)
with young athletes seeming to mature into the senior ranks of the sport quicker than ever these days, the International Athletics Centre of Dakar (CIAD) is optimistically looking to 2003, especially the World Championships in Paris and the African Games in Abuja, with high hopes of consolidating its already excellent development results.
Following the meeting of the committee**, which selected the athletes who will receive assistance at the centre for the 2002-2003 season, the CIAD has since 1 December been able to focus it’s attentions on 2003 and beyond, as per the recent wishes of IAAF President Lamine Diack.
Since the CIAD’s creation in 1996, the centre’s good results have confirmed the dawn of a new era for francophone African athletics. As a consequence of it’s growing success, the number of CIAD residents has been increased to 30 for the current year, with funding from the traditional sources of the IAAF Olympic Solidarity and Coopération Française.
During the last World Championships in Edmonton, the progress of CIAD students was highlighted when Senegalese Amy Mbacké Thiam won the 400m World title, and the centre also produced three others finalists: Eric Milazar from Mauritius for the 400m (5th) and his compatriot Stephan Buckland for the 200m (6th) and also Mireille Nguimbo from Cameroon for the women’s 400m (7th). In addition, the Senegalese Aida Diop (200m), Berlioz Randriamihaja from Madagascar (110m hurdles) and the relay team from Mauritius (4x100 m) reached the semi finals of their events.
Combined with the efforts of former CIAD pupils Françoise Mbango from Cameroon, who took a silver in the women’s Triple Jump and Léonie Mani who was 8th in the women’s 200m final, the results of CIAD athletes both past and present at the 2001 World Championships, have reconfirmed the success of this development initiative.
The project, initiated by the French technical advisor Hervé Stephan, has as a consequence limited the number of talented athletes leaving for Europe or the United States, proving Lamine Diack’s original CIAD ethos of a truly international development programme for African athletes on African soil.
There is now a new management team in place to further the CIAD’s development, with Emmanuel Bitanga from Cameroon, the new technical director, assisted by Russia’s Victor Kouzine (responsible for jumps) and France’s Alain Smail (CPSI & trainer), with the Senegalese coaches, Lamine Ndao & Karamo Dabo (jumps and middle distances) completing the CIAD staff. A high level sprint coach is still to be appointed.
Oumar BA - "Le Soleil" – for the IAAF
2002-2003 Students -
Kamboule Béatrice, Sanou Idrissa, Sanou Olivier, Ouédraogo Levy (Burkina Faso), Tévoédjre Narcisse, Alamou Souhalia (Benin), Sanganoko Makaridja, Allou Amandine (Ivory Coast ), Bewouda Hortense, Kaboud Mebam Carole (Cameroon), Anim Vida (Ghana), Koita Yay Souko, Camara Khadidiatou (Mali), Casquette Arnaud, Chimier Jonathan, Buckland Stephan, Eric Milazar, Kowlessur Ommanandsingh, Augustin Fernando (Mauritius), Rakotozafy Rosa
(Madagascar), Tobi-West Ibifuro (Nigeria), Badji Ndiss Kaba, Faye Gnima, Fall Fatou Binetou, Loum Omar, Diop Aîda, Ndoye Kene, Amy Mbacké Thiam, Abdou Demba Lam (Senegal), Tchalla Didier (Togo), Nyonami Talkmore (Zimbabwe).
** CIAD Committee – (President) Mr. Abdoul Wahab Bâ, General Secretary of the CAA, El Hebil Abdel Malek deputy director of IAAF Member Services Department, Amadou Dia Bâ, director of the IAAF Regional Development Centre, Mansour Sy from CONFEJES, Alain Smail, CPSI, Rafaêl Agopomé, director of CIAD and Mamadou Ndiaye, technical director of the CAA.
